


Costumes and Couples

by franscats



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-14
Updated: 2017-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 02:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10295417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/franscats/pseuds/franscats
Summary: Blair needs Jim's help to win a Rainier Halloween costume contest.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was done for the Sentinel Thursday prompt - bribery

“I said, NO,” Jim answered as he left the kitchen and took a seat on the sofa.

“But, Jim,” Blair whined, walking over and turning puppy dog eyes on him. “I can’t go to the anthro Halloween party as the Joker if I don’t have someone to go as Batman. The costume contest is only open to pairs.”

“I have to tell you, Sandburg, I’m not a woman.”

“I didn’t say couples, I said pairs and anyway, couples can be male and male or female and female. The contest does not discriminate against alternate lifestyles.”

“Get one of your TAs to partner with you.”

Blair looked away and sighed. “They won’t look as good in a Batman costume,” he mumbled.

“You’re picking your partner based on looks?” JIM asked, shocked.

“Well, yeah.” Blair admitted, plopping down beside Jim. “The theme this year is superheroes and I want to win. Every year, Bob Courts beats me and I get the second place prize. Last year, the theme was fairy tales.”

“I remember,” Jim nodded. “You went as Little Red Riding Hood and borrowed someone’s dog, so it looked like you were with a wolf.”

“It was a husky, he was my partner in the contest-“

“You’re not kidding when you say they don’t discriminate against alternate lifestyles,” Jim chuckled.

“Very funny,” Blair continued. “I didn’t win that contest because Bob Courts came dressed as a Caliph with a belly dancer on his arm. His girlfriend had taken belly dancing lessons for the contest. I mean, really, who can win against a gorgeous woman dancing around him.”

“I can see that,” Jim nodded.

“You would,” Blair muttered. “Anyway, I made a great Joker outfit and I need a Batman.” He glanced over at Jim. “If you do this, I’ll…I’ll,” Blair fished around for a bribe that would get Jim into the Batman outfit. “I’ll cook all the meals for the next two weeks and they’ll be artery clogging, no tofu.”

Jim continued to watch Blair saying nothing and Blair glanced around. “I’ll clean the bathroom for the next two weeks.”

“You don’t know how.”

“I’ll learn,” Blair answered, impatiently. “Come on, man, just tell me what I have to do to get you to say yes.”

Jim sat silent for a moment and Blair’s heart sank. He wanted Jim in that too tight Batman suit – Blair had ordered it one size smaller than Jim normally wore. With all those muscles on display and Blair’s Joker outfit, he was sure to win.

“Two weeks of real cooking and the bathroom and no complaining when I eat Wonderburger,” Jim added and Blair smiled, knowing Jim was giving in.

“Absolutely,” he answered. “I’ll pick up the costume tomorrow night on my way home from Rainier.”

“Don’t you think you should get it sooner? What if it doesn’t fit?”

“It’ll fit,” Blair assured him, while crossing his fingers at the small lie. “Thanks Jim. I can’t wait to see what Bob says when he sees the Dynamic Duo.”

The next day, Blair was already in costume, makeup on, when Jim walked in from work and stopped, staring at Blair. Blair had white paint on his face, with large red lips, and black charcoal all around his eyes. His hair was bundled under a large black hat and he was wearing a purple velvet suit and green vest. “You look scary, Sandburg,” Jim admitted.

“Thanks,” Blair pointed upstairs. “The Batman outfit is on you bed. So, hurry up and get dressed.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jim saluted and headed for the bathroom to shower and shave.

The bellow came twenty minutes later. “Sandburg, this costume doesn’t fit,” Jim called, leaning over the railing to look at Blair.

Glad he was wearing makeup so Jim couldn’t see his smile was more than the Joker’s weird face, Blair made his way upstairs and then gasped as he looked over the tight outfit that showed off Jim’s broad chest and washboard stomach and hinted at what he was packing in his pants. “It’s a little tight,” Blair agreed. “But it makes you look like a really muscled Cape Crusader.”

“I’ll be uncomfortable all night, in this getup.”

Blair looked Jim over again, making a point of not looking at the groin area. “There’s no time to get another suit. And I think this was the last one they had. Please, Jim, I have to win this contest.”

“You never mentioned, what does the winner get?” Jim asked, bending over and giving Blair a great view of his firm backside as he finished putting on his black boots.

“The winner gets a certificate for a dinner. It’s to a nice Italian place. When I win, you can be my date,” he said casually. “Anyway, the prize isn’t important. What is important is beating Bob Courts.”

Shaking his head, cowl in place, Jim stood. “I look okay?” he asked.

Blair knew better than to say, “You look like someone I’d like to jump,” so instead, he said, “You could give whoever is playing Batman in the movies a run for his money.”

“Thanks,” Jim grabbed his coat. “Let’s go.” The pair headed to Rainier.

Pulling up in front of the Student Union Building, Jim parked and got out of his truck, placing the coat on the seat and putting his keys in his utility belt. There was the sound of loud music and Blair told Jim to make sure he kept his hearing at normal levels as they entered the building.

Wincing, and lowering his hearing below normal, Jim looked around. There were quite a few x-men, a few Fantastic Four members and a bunch of Avengers. Jim could see at least three men costumed as Spiderman, one man painted a weird green and one really hot Cat Woman, dressed in leather and holding a whip.

Jim’s eyes were scanning the food table when he felt Blair tug on his arm. “That’s Bob Courts,” he indicated a man entering wearing a Batman costume. On his arm was a beautiful Wonder Woman.

“He’s also got a Batman outfit?” Jim asked turning and staring at Blair. “You knew he was coming as Batman?”

“Um…yeah, but I knew you would make a better Batman and though his girlfriend, Marie, is a beautiful Wonder Woman, my costume is better.”

Jim glanced over Blair’s rivals and had to admit the girl, while pretty, couldn’t compare to Blair’s Joker outfit. “So, when does the contest begin?”

“At nine, an announcement will be made for all couples…uhm…pairs, to line up and the voting begins.”

Jim glanced at his watch. “So, we have a little while to grab some food before the contest,” he headed for the food table, Blair watching him go, his makeup hiding a loving smile.

“Hey Sandburg,” he turned from his Jim watching as Bob Courts walked over. “I didn’t realize you were doing the Batman thing. Funny, we both came up with the same idea,” he said, suspiciously.

“Great minds,” Blair answered.

“So, who’s your boyfriend?”

“The Caped Crusader,” Blair answered glancing over at Bob. “Isn’t he perfect in that costume?”

“It seems a bit tight,” Bob answered.

“It’s all that working out,” Blair answered. “He keeps his body in shape.” He watched Jim walk down the food table that made up one wall. “I think I’ll get a bite of food before the contest,” he turned and made a beeline for Jim.

“Hey,” he said as he came next to Jim and grabbed a paper plate. “They did a great job on the food.”

Jim nodded his agreement. All the food had been decorated to look scary. There were chicken fingers with olives on the end to make them look like fingers with nails, hot dogs wrapped in biscuits to make them look like mummies, cheese burgers with the cheese cutout to look like pumpkins, dips shaped into pumpkins, and a punch bowl sitting in a giant bowl of water with dry ice, the ice misting over the bowl.

“This is quite a spread,” Jim agreed. “And it’s all my kind of food.” He grabbed some food and turned, looking around. “Who decides the contest winners, there are some great costumes.”

“The pairs who are signed up for the contest will be called over by the far wall and the winners will be decided by the applause of the whole group.” Blair took a bite of his chicken finger, before continuing. “When we go over there, could you grab me and flex your muscles.”

Jim rolled his eyes. “As long as we are not next to the Cat Woman with the whip.”

Blair chuckled. “That’s Anna, she can be, intense,” he answered as someone picked up a microphone.

“Hello all,” the costumed Superman called out. “It’s time for the couples to come on over. The contest begins in five minutes.”

“Couples?” Jim asked raising an eyebrow as Blair turned to throw away his plate. “Are we a couple?”

“For this we are, so just play along,” Blair grabbed Jim’s arm. “Come on, I want you next to Bob Courts.”

Within five minutes, thirty people had lined up on the wall. Jim and Blair near the right end as the announcer began walking down the line, stopping before each couple to get their applause.

All the costumes were good, but there was no doubt in Jim’s mind that Blair’s stood out, his makeup perfect.

When the applause was given, each couple turned and kissed and Blair whispered, sentinel soft, “You don’t have to kiss me. You can say it’s because of the makeup.”

Jim nodded as the announcer reached them and flexing his muscles he turned and grabbed Blair in a tight hold. The applause went wild and Blair smiled up at Jim. “I think you’re going to take me out on a date to an Italian restaurant, Chief,” Jim whispered close to his ear before letting a hand knock off Blair’s hat, Jim’s hand running through Blair’s hair as it fell to his shoulders. Cupping the back of Blair’s head, Jim leaned down and thoroughly kissed Blair’s red lips, as people hooted and shouted, “Get a room.”

They were still kissing, Blair’s arms circling Jim, when the announcer moved to the next couple and, when they finally separated, Blair reached up and touched the red makeup on Jim’s lips. “Jim?” he questioned softly.

“You heard the announcer, this contest is for couples,” Jim replied.

“And we’re a couple?”

“From now on we are,” Jim answered.

Blair’s smile was brilliant. “You won’t get any argument from me.”

“So let’s win this contest and get out of here. I want to kiss you without makeup,” Jim reached up and touched his own lips, rubbing the makeup between his fingers.


End file.
